Overview
A Water Quality reading outside the applicable rule's limits is marked Low or High. This is a rule deviation. Mobaro records the reading; the deviation alone does not prevent the User from finishing the Checklist. Follow-up actions depend on your configuration.
What happens next depends on your setup. The Low/High marker always appears (the warning). On top of that you can route the Result to validation, raise an Assignment, schedule a follow-up Checklist or demand evidence. This article explains each outcome and how to choose between them.
At a glance |
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Who can do this | Validation: Super Users, a Schedule's Owners, or a Role with Schedules › Create or Modify. Triggers: anyone who can edit the Checklist. |
Where | Schedules › a Schedule › Compliance; the Water Quality Question's Triggers panel in the Checklist editor |
Works on | Mobile app (readings, Deviations screen); Backend (web) to set up and review. Not RideOps. |
Availability | Early access — contact Mobaro Support to request access. |
🚀 Early access: Water Quality is an early-access feature and may not be enabled for your account. Contact Mobaro Support to request access. Until it's enabled, the ruleset table and the Water Quality Question element don't appear.
When a reading is a deviation
A reading is Low when it's below the rule's Minimum and High when it's above its Maximum. A reading exactly on a limit is within range. The check runs on the phone, against the rule Mobaro picks from the Checklist's Location.
A reading is only checked when the question has a ruleset, a rule matches the Location, and the parameter is ticked in that rule. Otherwise it's saved without a marker and never counts as a deviation. At a Location no rule matches, triggers based on the rule's range don't fire, and logic based on it can't be relied on.
🛑 Critical: If no rule matches a Location, readings there aren't checked against any limits, and nothing warns you. Make sure every Location is covered — for example, end the ruleset with a rule that has no Location Groups.
What always happens
In the app: a High or Low badge appears next to the reading as soon as it's entered. Staff can change the reading or continue.
In the Result: the report's Water Quality table lists each reading with Low or High.
On dashboards: readings feed the Value Development By Water Quality Question widget. See Dashboard widget catalog.
Nothing else happens unless you set up one of the follow-ups below.
Optional follow-ups
Follow-up | What it does | Set up |
Require validation on rule deviation | When staff finish, a Deviations screen lists the high and low readings and asks for an optional explanation. The Result is marked as requiring validation. | Compliance section of a Calendar or Continuous Schedule, an Ad Hoc Slot or an Ad Hoc Slot Trigger — Configure deviations to trigger result validations |
Assignment Trigger | Raises an Assignment for corrective action when a parameter is below or above the rule's range. | |
Ad Hoc Slot Trigger | Schedules a follow-up Checklist — for example a retest — when the triggering Checklist is completed. | |
Requirement Trigger | Makes a Comment, a Photo or both mandatory before the Checklist can be completed. | |
Logic | Shows or hides other elements, such as corrective-action questions. |
Trigger and logic conditions on a Water Quality Question are below the rule's range, within the rule's range and above the rule's range, and are available once the question has a ruleset. Pick the parameter as the Trigger Question.
How validation works
With Require validation on rule deviation ticked, a Result with at least one deviation is marked Awaiting Validation. It's still a completed Result: Reviewers approve or disapprove it, and if the Schedule has no Reviewers only Super Users can. See How to validate Checklists.
The Result's RD tag shows the outcome: Performing user had rule deviations, Performing user had no rule deviations, or Not configured to validate rule deviations when the setting is off. The Deviations section of its Compliance page counts the readings that were too high and too low — see The Compliance page in Result reports.
A Result from a critical Schedule that's awaiting validation keeps its Location red on the Location Overview only if Color is only affected by approved results is on. See Schedule criticality and Location operational status.
⚠️ Heads-up: The Deviations screen, the RD tag and the Compliance page's deviation counts only cover Water Quality when Require validation on rule deviation is ticked. The Deviation overview dashboard widget doesn't include rule deviations at all.
Trigger or validation?
They do different jobs. A trigger acts in the field: someone fixes the water, retests it or records evidence. Validation acts on the record: a Reviewer confirms the Result before signing it off. Use either, both or neither per Schedule and parameter — for example, an Assignment Trigger on low Free Chlorine at every pool, plus validation on the Schedules for your spas.
Best practices
Decide per parameter which deviations need action in the field (triggers) and which need review (validation).
Before ticking Require validation on rule deviation, make sure the Schedule has Reviewers ready to handle the queue.
Train staff on what the High and Low badges mean, and what to do when no Assignment is raised.
Test each follow-up with a reading just outside your limits before going live.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on validation for pool readings?
Open the Schedule (or Ad Hoc Slot), go to its Compliance section and tick Require validation on rule deviation. Results with a Low or High reading are then marked Awaiting Validation. The option only appears when your organization has Water Quality.
Can staff submit a checklist with an out-of-range reading?
Yes. No setting blocks the reading or the Checklist. Validation reviews the Result afterwards; a Requirement Trigger only makes a comment or photo mandatory before completing.
A chlorine reading below my minimum isn't flagged. Why?
Check that the question has a ruleset, that a rule matches the Checklist's Location, and that Free Chlorine is ticked in that rule. A reading equal to the minimum counts as within range. See Troubleshooting water quality setup issues.
Why don't water quality deviations show in the Deviation Overview widget?
That widget doesn't cover rule deviations. Use the RD tag and the Result's Compliance page, or chart readings with the Value Development By Water Quality Question widget.
Can I correct a wrong reading after the Result is submitted?
Yes. Super Users and users with Results › Modify can edit or remove a reading in the Result's Water Quality table. The Low or High marker and the deviation counts aren't recalculated. A Reviewer can also disapprove the Result — see Disapproving Results.